COVER:
CONTENTS:
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
My Photos!
Here I took close up photos, she is wearing plummy tones which I thought attracted a more female target audience.
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Here I took mid shot photos. She is wearing a brightly coloured scarf which includes bright greens, blues and pinks, I felt these colours associated more with a pop genre as they are vibrant.
In these photos she has a strong pose however I disliked the lighting in this photo as her face look quite highly saturated, also it is less engaging then the close ups as she is looking more engaged or directed to the camera/audience.
Here are more close up shots. She is wearing subtle/ pastel colours in these photos as suggested by the focus group. I put flowers in her hair to give a more feminine appeal to the image.
Overall I felt that the first set of photos using the plum colours worked better as they were more stronger. The plum colours stand out better and looked more fierce and dominant photos whereas the pastel colours and props portrayed her as vulnerable looking.
Monday, 16 December 2013
Reader Profile
Who is my target audience?
My pop magazine is going to be aimed at mostly teenagers from 16 years, I have chosen this target audience because the focus group and analysis shows there is a gap in the market as the majority wanted to buy it. In addition, I have already conducted primary research to find out about my audience.
Furthermore pop magazines are also called 'teen magazines' meaning that many teenagers are interested in pop music. In addition the teen magazine industry is female orientated suggesting that the majority of females are interested in pop magazine. This tells me that most of the audience are females, although this could be because most pop magazines aim at females such as ' we love pop '.However pop magazines don't really tend to reach out to the male market because it is smaller and more difficult to appeal to them. Although, we know there is a male market for pop magazines out there as there are many pop artists who have a male fan base, however the female fan base is bigger as they are more interested in the pop genre and pop artists e.g. one direction. I personally think that Billboard magazine doesn't aim at a particular gender, the colours are usually suited to both genders.
To conclude I am going to aim my music magazine at teenage females as they are more interested in pop genre.
My pop magazine is going to be aimed at mostly teenagers from 16 years, I have chosen this target audience because the focus group and analysis shows there is a gap in the market as the majority wanted to buy it. In addition, I have already conducted primary research to find out about my audience.
Furthermore pop magazines are also called 'teen magazines' meaning that many teenagers are interested in pop music. In addition the teen magazine industry is female orientated suggesting that the majority of females are interested in pop magazine. This tells me that most of the audience are females, although this could be because most pop magazines aim at females such as ' we love pop '.However pop magazines don't really tend to reach out to the male market because it is smaller and more difficult to appeal to them. Although, we know there is a male market for pop magazines out there as there are many pop artists who have a male fan base, however the female fan base is bigger as they are more interested in the pop genre and pop artists e.g. one direction. I personally think that Billboard magazine doesn't aim at a particular gender, the colours are usually suited to both genders.
To conclude I am going to aim my music magazine at teenage females as they are more interested in pop genre.
Font testing
Market Deco: It consists of only capitals which would be ideal for the masthead. The font is bold and therefore eye-catching. It is simple, clear and looks modern so is good for attracting a younger audience.
Stainy: It's much more curvy writing but is considered to be unisex as although it is italics it uses straight lines and is quite sleek.
Moon Flower: This font is also only in capitals. Although the lines are very think and I don't think this is bold enough for the magazine in comparison to Market Deco font.
Andes: It is very stylish font and adds character to the font however it is quite difficult to make out some letters such as the N.
Coolvetica: This font included both lower case and capital letters and is bold.
Colour testing
Colour connotations:
RED:
Red is a strong colour and has many connotations such as love,blood, anger and lust. These associations suggest its a very emotionally intense colour. It's usually linked to lust and love because of 'the lady in red' who is a temptation of lust. In addition because of red its satanic representations it is seen as angry colour. The religious connotations which portray it as a satanic colour can also link red to hellish and can be connected to fire.
The high visibility of red means that is used to show awareness and is linked to danger therefore is used on warning signs, this means it is a stand out colour and could be a reason why it is used for 'click here' or 'buy now' buttons; this furthermore conveys it as a colour which stimulates people to make quick decisions.
Red is also a dominant colour that can be associated to royalty that can associate with power, deeper colours of red are thought of as luxurious such as velvet.
From these connotations, we know that red is seen as quite a sinful and violent colour it mostly represents negative imagery such as hell, lust, anger, death, the devil and danger.
Purple is considered artificial as it is not seen in natural imagery this suggests it to be mystical and magical; this could be why it's often used for children products such as sweet packaging- 'cadburys' etc. In addition, about 75% of children say their favourite colour is purple. Purple is seen in the universe such as galaxy's which symbolises it as mysterious and unusual.
Purple is quite rare when used in the music magazine industry, this could be because purple is seen as a childish colour therefore doesn't appeal to an older target audience. However it can be seen as an older colour as it portrays wisdom and nobility.
Purple is a rich colour and links to luxury, because of the connotations to luxury, purple can give quality to a cheap product. Overall purple is liked by a high proportion of teenage girls : ( Cadbury's chocolate is also targeted at a large number of females).
Unlike purple, blue is seen as a natural colour, it represents the colours of sea, ocean, sky and water; this represents it as a calming colour and peaceful. Because of it's natural imagery, light blues are seen as a pure colour and it's association to water portrays it as cleanly. Light blues are subtle and soft they are usually associated with healing and tranquillity. Blue's can represent a sad emotion. Dark blues symbolise confidence, power and authority. On the whole, blue is a positive colour as it is subtle, calming and welcoming.
Blue is a contrast to red and represents cold colours - this contrast is given in vibe magazine. Vibe magazine often uses darker shades of blue which suggests it is more of a hip hop colour. Blue is considered a masculine colour and could be why it is used by vibe magazine as they have a higher male audience. It is a contrast to pink gender wise therefore the portrayal of blue is similar to the portrayal of the stereotypical male such as strong and dominant.
GREEN:
Green holds environmental associations as it is the colour of most natural imagery such as trees, grass and flowers; it symbolises growth, freshness and harmony. It is a contrast to red in terms with safety and danger; red represents warnings and green is a symbol to show safety/ security for example the traffic lights mean it is safe to 'go'. Because green is used in 'go' sign and arrows it can also symbolises movement.
Dark greens have stronger negative connotations such as the feelings envy and greed as green is associated to money. Green can also be a representation of power as money is linked to power.Overall Green is a positive colour as like blue it represents positive connotations. The darker greens have increasing intensity from the lighter shades.
Green is used in mostly country magazines as it links to the country feeling and represents the outdoors and a fresh environment. It is not commonly used by other genres in particular.
Yellow has positive connotations for example is usually linked to a happy emotion, it is warming and welcoming.
Yellow is linked to rejuvenation which is why it is commonly used in beauty products.
However it has negative connotations too, the colour seems distasteful to men because of it's 'cheap' connotation.
Yellow is a warming colour which usually symbolises the sun and energy hence why it is commonly used on food packaging/ industries such as McDonalds. Yellow is seen colour which implies safety and stability as it is used on road signs - an opposite connotation to red. However, although it is seen as a safe colour it can be quite a risky colour to use as it is very striking and eye-catching, and can clash with many colours.
Yellow might have been used on this magazine cover to represent James Blake's character/ personality as happy and optimistic; to create a balance in contrast with his facial expression which is quite glum, this also represents yellow as a cheerful colour. In addition creates more of a pop magazine whereas if other colours were used with his facial expression it might have looked more of a rock genre and misrepresent the artists. The yellow is very eye-catching and represents the masthead 'clash' well as it is an onomatopoeia, in comic books onomatopoeias use primary colours to make it distinctive and stand out, therefore creates distinction.
White symbolises purity and is associated with cleanliness. It is a neutral colour and not that risky to use however can lead to blandness. It can be seen as quite a boring, blank, not very eye catching however when contrasted with other colours it can be seen as a stand out colour. It doesn't really link to many emotions other than calmness and peacefulness. It has connotations of modernity and sleekness.
RED:
Red is a strong colour and has many connotations such as love,blood, anger and lust. These associations suggest its a very emotionally intense colour. It's usually linked to lust and love because of 'the lady in red' who is a temptation of lust. In addition because of red its satanic representations it is seen as angry colour. The religious connotations which portray it as a satanic colour can also link red to hellish and can be connected to fire.
The high visibility of red means that is used to show awareness and is linked to danger therefore is used on warning signs, this means it is a stand out colour and could be a reason why it is used for 'click here' or 'buy now' buttons; this furthermore conveys it as a colour which stimulates people to make quick decisions.
Red is also a dominant colour that can be associated to royalty that can associate with power, deeper colours of red are thought of as luxurious such as velvet.
From these connotations, we know that red is seen as quite a sinful and violent colour it mostly represents negative imagery such as hell, lust, anger, death, the devil and danger.
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The colour red is stereotypically used in rock magazines such as 'NME' as rock music is quite aggressive and harsh. It is commonly used with blacks to portray a gothic image as blacks are dark and red represents blood, furthermore is easy to contrast and stands out well.
PINK:
Pink is a lighter form of red which means it holds less aggression than red, this may portray it as a softer colour. Pink is associated to femininity probably because it is seen as a soft tone; this could be why it is used for many pop magazines such as 'sugar' and ' we love pop' as pop magazines are aimed at mostly females; ' we love pop' uses the pink to represent love. Sugar uses pink to represent the title which means there is an interlink between pink and sugar, this could convey pink as a sweet and innocent colour.
Because of this femininity link, the portrayal of pink is the same as the portrayal of females such as nurturing and compassionate. Pale pinks link to softness and calmness it is often use on baby lotions eg. Johnsons.
Because of this femininity link, the portrayal of pink is the same as the portrayal of females such as nurturing and compassionate. Pale pinks link to softness and calmness it is often use on baby lotions eg. Johnsons.
PURPLE:
Purple is considered artificial as it is not seen in natural imagery this suggests it to be mystical and magical; this could be why it's often used for children products such as sweet packaging- 'cadburys' etc. In addition, about 75% of children say their favourite colour is purple. Purple is seen in the universe such as galaxy's which symbolises it as mysterious and unusual.
Purple is quite rare when used in the music magazine industry, this could be because purple is seen as a childish colour therefore doesn't appeal to an older target audience. However it can be seen as an older colour as it portrays wisdom and nobility.
Purple is a rich colour and links to luxury, because of the connotations to luxury, purple can give quality to a cheap product. Overall purple is liked by a high proportion of teenage girls : ( Cadbury's chocolate is also targeted at a large number of females).
BLUE:
Unlike purple, blue is seen as a natural colour, it represents the colours of sea, ocean, sky and water; this represents it as a calming colour and peaceful. Because of it's natural imagery, light blues are seen as a pure colour and it's association to water portrays it as cleanly. Light blues are subtle and soft they are usually associated with healing and tranquillity. Blue's can represent a sad emotion. Dark blues symbolise confidence, power and authority. On the whole, blue is a positive colour as it is subtle, calming and welcoming.
Blue is a contrast to red and represents cold colours - this contrast is given in vibe magazine. Vibe magazine often uses darker shades of blue which suggests it is more of a hip hop colour. Blue is considered a masculine colour and could be why it is used by vibe magazine as they have a higher male audience. It is a contrast to pink gender wise therefore the portrayal of blue is similar to the portrayal of the stereotypical male such as strong and dominant.
GREEN:
Green holds environmental associations as it is the colour of most natural imagery such as trees, grass and flowers; it symbolises growth, freshness and harmony. It is a contrast to red in terms with safety and danger; red represents warnings and green is a symbol to show safety/ security for example the traffic lights mean it is safe to 'go'. Because green is used in 'go' sign and arrows it can also symbolises movement.
Dark greens have stronger negative connotations such as the feelings envy and greed as green is associated to money. Green can also be a representation of power as money is linked to power.Overall Green is a positive colour as like blue it represents positive connotations. The darker greens have increasing intensity from the lighter shades.
Green is used in mostly country magazines as it links to the country feeling and represents the outdoors and a fresh environment. It is not commonly used by other genres in particular.
YELLOW:
Yellow has positive connotations for example is usually linked to a happy emotion, it is warming and welcoming.
Yellow is linked to rejuvenation which is why it is commonly used in beauty products.
However it has negative connotations too, the colour seems distasteful to men because of it's 'cheap' connotation.
Yellow is a warming colour which usually symbolises the sun and energy hence why it is commonly used on food packaging/ industries such as McDonalds. Yellow is seen colour which implies safety and stability as it is used on road signs - an opposite connotation to red. However, although it is seen as a safe colour it can be quite a risky colour to use as it is very striking and eye-catching, and can clash with many colours.
Yellow might have been used on this magazine cover to represent James Blake's character/ personality as happy and optimistic; to create a balance in contrast with his facial expression which is quite glum, this also represents yellow as a cheerful colour. In addition creates more of a pop magazine whereas if other colours were used with his facial expression it might have looked more of a rock genre and misrepresent the artists. The yellow is very eye-catching and represents the masthead 'clash' well as it is an onomatopoeia, in comic books onomatopoeias use primary colours to make it distinctive and stand out, therefore creates distinction.
ORANGE:
Orange has similar connotations to yellow, however is less cheerful than yellow as it is fading into more red tones which link to more negative connotations. Therefore Orange is quite a balanced colour and can be considered as also safe, in addition is used as a 'ready' sign on the traffic lights which suggest it to be safe. The links to safety imply comfortability. Orange is an energetic colour and is used on energy drinks such as fanta etc.
WHITE:
White symbolises purity and is associated with cleanliness. It is a neutral colour and not that risky to use however can lead to blandness. It can be seen as quite a boring, blank, not very eye catching however when contrasted with other colours it can be seen as a stand out colour. It doesn't really link to many emotions other than calmness and peacefulness. It has connotations of modernity and sleekness.
BLACK:
Black is seen as a formal colour in advertising, although it is traditional it adds class to an advertisement.
It can be linked to dark connotations as it is a dark colour for example death and evil. it is a gothic colour and symbolises grief.
It can be linked to dark connotations as it is a dark colour for example death and evil. it is a gothic colour and symbolises grief.
Friday, 29 November 2013
Case Study
Double page spread- Billboard
This is a double page spread of Billboard magazine, it is very minimal . The spread includes a picture which takes up both pages this creates a feeling of space and simplicity; in addition miley cyrus is only using up the corner of the room she's in which makes the double spread look spacious, this suggests her looking vulnerable as she is cornered into a room and makes the readers want to find out more.
Double page spread- the rolling stones
This is a double page spread of the rolling stones magazine, it includes a close up picture of Adele ( who is a pop artist). Her face dominates over half of the page which already creates a bold page. The picture is the background of both pages which looks very affective as it creates bigger images and titles, this means that it is a stand out page.
The pages are black and white which suit the photo and also looks eye-catching and it uses juxtaposed colours of black and white. It also exaggerates the light and shade which adds dimension to the photo. Although the colours can be recognised as bland and uninteresting, the blacks and whites add sophistication to the cover. In addition the grey tones and Adele's blank face add a calming mood to the page and is more comfortable for the readers.
It includes an interview of Adele. I think that the double page spread of the rolling stones is more affective than the billboard one as it includes much more valuable information about the artist which seems more interesting than the other double page which doesn't include much text or images and seems quite bland. In addition in my focus group they favoured interviews and wanted knowledge about the artist more than the music genre.
Overall, I think it would be best to use one photo for the background of the double page spread which takes over both pages because it looks more attractive and creates an eye catching double spread as everything is much bigger.
This is a double page spread of Billboard magazine, it is very minimal . The spread includes a picture which takes up both pages this creates a feeling of space and simplicity; in addition miley cyrus is only using up the corner of the room she's in which makes the double spread look spacious, this suggests her looking vulnerable as she is cornered into a room and makes the readers want to find out more.
Double page spread- the rolling stones
This is a double page spread of the rolling stones magazine, it includes a close up picture of Adele ( who is a pop artist). Her face dominates over half of the page which already creates a bold page. The picture is the background of both pages which looks very affective as it creates bigger images and titles, this means that it is a stand out page.
The pages are black and white which suit the photo and also looks eye-catching and it uses juxtaposed colours of black and white. It also exaggerates the light and shade which adds dimension to the photo. Although the colours can be recognised as bland and uninteresting, the blacks and whites add sophistication to the cover. In addition the grey tones and Adele's blank face add a calming mood to the page and is more comfortable for the readers.
It includes an interview of Adele. I think that the double page spread of the rolling stones is more affective than the billboard one as it includes much more valuable information about the artist which seems more interesting than the other double page which doesn't include much text or images and seems quite bland. In addition in my focus group they favoured interviews and wanted knowledge about the artist more than the music genre.
Overall, I think it would be best to use one photo for the background of the double page spread which takes over both pages because it looks more attractive and creates an eye catching double spread as everything is much bigger.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Focus group + Analysis
FOCUS GROUP
How old are you?
From 16 - 17 year olds
This shows that the focus group were all teenagers from 16- 17 year olds.
What is your gender?
3 males, 3 females
50% males and 50% female
Would you be willing on buying a pop magazine?
83% yes --> this shows there is a gap in the market for a pop magazine aimed at teenagers
How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
What attracts you most to a magazine? ( eg contents, genre..)
The front cover photo ( said by all)
What kind of photo would you like to appear on the front cover?
Photo of a band
Mid shot
Body shot
Close up - if they are attractive
What is your favourite pop magazine and why?
Billboard magazine- ' i like the colours, artists and think it's a very attractive'
Billboard magazine-' the covers look really nice, they're colourful and modern'
Billboard magazine- ' It's up to date with music, modern,the covers look really appealing'.
How old are you?
From 16 - 17 year olds
This shows that the focus group were all teenagers from 16- 17 year olds.
What is your gender?
3 males, 3 females
50% males and 50% female
Would you be willing on buying a pop magazine?
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes
- No
83% yes --> this shows there is a gap in the market for a pop magazine aimed at teenagers
How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
- £3
- £2
- £2
- £2.50
- £3.50
The average is £2.60, however it's better to go for the minimum price said by the focus group so that the magazine would appeal to the whole of the target audience rather than only 60%. £2 seems like a reasonable price, especially compared to competitive prices (we know that Billboard has a cost of £5) therefore has a competitive advantage against other pop magazines. However having a cheap price at £2 would represent the magazine as also cheap and bad quality.Therefore I think it is best to go for a price at £2.50 to portray the magazine as good quality and professional. £2.50 is an in-between price that would appeal to many.
What attracts you most to a magazine? ( eg contents, genre..)
The front cover photo ( said by all)
What kind of photo would you like to appear on the front cover?
Photo of a band
Mid shot
Body shot
Close up - if they are attractive
What is your favourite pop magazine and why?
Billboard magazine- ' i like the colours, artists and think it's a very attractive'
Billboard magazine-' the covers look really nice, they're colourful and modern'
Billboard magazine- ' It's up to date with music, modern,the covers look really appealing'.
Billboard magazine - ' Their covers are really cool and has a nice layout. They are bright and bold, represents pop genre well. I like the photographs, it all looks very proffessional'
Pop girl -'I like pop girl it looks colourful, girly and exciting'
Doesn't have one - ' I dislike pop girl it's cheesy, it looks outdated and for like it's made for a younger audience. Plus it's is only for females'
The majority liked Billboard magazine, a minority liked pop girl however some one also debated that it doesn't appeal to everyone for example only targeted at females and younger audience and some even argued it seemed a little outdated- although some said it wasn't outdated just less professional than Billboard. Most of the males chose Billboard this suggest that it is a unisex magazine that can attract a larger based audience. This tells me I can use Billboard magazine as inspiration as the majority like it.
What colours would attract you most to a pop magazine cover? and why
- Bright colours and stand out colours
- pinks and blues --> they are the most attractive colours
- subtle pastel colours
- any colours as long as they are attractive and suit a theme
- eye catching bright colours of any choice
- a variety of bright colours e.g. oranges, blues, pinks , colours that contrast well
What topics and information would you like to be included in the magazine- cover and double page spread? What interests you most?
Cover:
Cover should include an artist with small glimpses of whats going to be in the magazine.
The cover should be minimalistic and shouldn't include much information, just needs to focus of being attractive.
Double page spread:
I think it would be interesting if the double page spread included interviews or stories of pop celebs.
Make it interactive - like a quiz / word search
Interviews- be humorous about celebrities
Minimalistic- include an editors message, inspirational quotes
Big photo background taking up both pages
Most of the focus group was interested in celebrity interviews, they were more keen in finding out about the celebrities rather than their music.
I also like the idea of a simplistic look which only includes an editors message, i know that Billboard doesn't always include much information in their double page spread for example in my case study.
Would you prefer the contents page to be single/ double page?
- Single
- Single
- Single
- Single
- Single
- Single
What would you call the pop magazine and why?
- 'pop- arazzi'
- ' pop - up'
they include the words 'pop' and immediately give away the genre of the magazine. Pop- arazzi is a combination of 2 words ( pop and paparazzi ) it's a pun and puns are catchy and fun. Paparazzi is associated with fame and gossip, lets people think that the magazine is full of gossip and secrets.
This question is purely based on opinions so it wouldn't matter if I have a different name for the actual magazine. Although the title needs to have some kind of association with music or fame for example from my cover analysis i said that the name 'Billboard' is associated with fame and suggests the magazine is broad as Billboards are an international form of advertising.
If the magazine included free gifts, would you be more likely to buy the magazine? If so, then what gift appeals to you in a pop magazine?
Yes:
- nail varnish
- exclusive CD
- make up similar to celebrities
- A poster
Posters and CD's appeal to both genders, however including free makeup makes the magazine favour females.
The majority liked Billboard magazine, a minority liked pop girl however some one also debated that it doesn't appeal to everyone for example only targeted at females and younger audience and some even argued it seemed a little outdated- although some said it wasn't outdated just less professional than Billboard. Most of the males chose Billboard this suggest that it is a unisex magazine that can attract a larger based audience. This tells me I can use Billboard magazine as inspiration as the majority like it.
What colours would attract you most to a pop magazine cover? and why
- Bright colours and stand out colours
- pinks and blues --> they are the most attractive colours
- subtle pastel colours
- any colours as long as they are attractive and suit a theme
- eye catching bright colours of any choice
- a variety of bright colours e.g. oranges, blues, pinks , colours that contrast well
What topics and information would you like to be included in the magazine- cover and double page spread? What interests you most?
Cover:
Cover should include an artist with small glimpses of whats going to be in the magazine.
The cover should be minimalistic and shouldn't include much information, just needs to focus of being attractive.
Double page spread:
I think it would be interesting if the double page spread included interviews or stories of pop celebs.
Make it interactive - like a quiz / word search
Interviews- be humorous about celebrities
Minimalistic- include an editors message, inspirational quotes
Big photo background taking up both pages
Most of the focus group was interested in celebrity interviews, they were more keen in finding out about the celebrities rather than their music.
I also like the idea of a simplistic look which only includes an editors message, i know that Billboard doesn't always include much information in their double page spread for example in my case study.
Would you prefer the contents page to be single/ double page?
- Single
- Single
- Single
- Single
- Single
- Single
What would you call the pop magazine and why?
- 'pop- arazzi'
- ' pop - up'
they include the words 'pop' and immediately give away the genre of the magazine. Pop- arazzi is a combination of 2 words ( pop and paparazzi ) it's a pun and puns are catchy and fun. Paparazzi is associated with fame and gossip, lets people think that the magazine is full of gossip and secrets.
This question is purely based on opinions so it wouldn't matter if I have a different name for the actual magazine. Although the title needs to have some kind of association with music or fame for example from my cover analysis i said that the name 'Billboard' is associated with fame and suggests the magazine is broad as Billboards are an international form of advertising.
If the magazine included free gifts, would you be more likely to buy the magazine? If so, then what gift appeals to you in a pop magazine?
Yes:
- nail varnish
- exclusive CD
- make up similar to celebrities
- A poster
Posters and CD's appeal to both genders, however including free makeup makes the magazine favour females.
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